Description

John Lessels, 1870-76. Terrace comprising unified façade of 3-storey and basement, 3-bay astylar renaissance townhouses with main-door and common stair flats behind. Advanced 9-bay centrepiece. Sandstone ashlar, droved at basement, channelled at ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basements. Banded base course. Banded cill course at 1st and 2nd floors, bracketed at windows to 2nd floor. Corniced eaves course. Architraved and corniced doorpieces; rectangular fanlights. Consoled stone balconies at 1st floor on scrolled brackets with cast-iron railings. Segmental arched 1st floor windows, architraved consoled and corniced; small roundels to alternate bays. Architraved surrounds at 2nd floor.

N (END) ELEVATION: 3 storeys, 2 bays to centre of mostly blank elevation. 2-storey corniced canted bay off centre right. Channelled ashlar at ground floor; large recessed panels at 1st and 2nd floors. Corniced eaves course. Moulded architraved surrounds to canted bay.

Predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case windows. Corniced ashlar gable end and ridge stacks. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Cast-iron railings on ashlar cope edging basement recess to street. Cast-iron balconies to 1st floor. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: interior typified by decorative classical scheme with fine plasterwork, ceiling roses and well detailed cornicing.

Statement of Interest

This terrace is a fine example of John Lessels' urban architecture and town planning and is wholly representative of the best mid Victorian domestic architecture. The classical language is adeptly translated to relatively modest sized townhouses. Details such as the balconies are a good survival.

John Lessels (1809 - 1883) was engaged in a number of urban design schemes throughout his career, and worked on other parts of the Walker Estate, notably at Coates Crescent and Melville crescent. He later went on to work for the City Improvement Trust in Edinburgh, and gained a wide experience of residential design with further designs in both the old and new towns of Edinburgh as well as some large commissions such as significant alterations to George Watson's Hospital.

(List description revised 2009 as part of re-survey.)

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17801554

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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